Navy suspends USS John McCain search and rescue efforts

(CNN) -- The US Navy has suspended its search-and-rescue operations for the sailors who remain missing after the collision between the US destroyer John S. McCain and an oil tanker near Singapore, the Navy announced Thursday.

A multinational 80-hour search effort was suspended Wednesday after covering a 2,100-square-mile area east of the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.

On Tuesday, Navy and Marine Corps divers found "some remains" of missing sailors in the sealed compartments aboard the McCain.

Divers will continue recovery efforts inside flooded compartments in the ship for remains, despite the suspension of rescue efforts at sea.

The guided-missile destroyer and the merchant vessel collided Monday east of the Malacca Strait, the fourth time a US warship has been involved in an accident in Asian waters this year.

The collision prompted the Navy to order a rare, one-day operational pause.

The McCain has been towed to Singapore's Changi Naval Base. The other ship, the Alnic MC, a 600-foot, Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker, was towed to Singapore's eastern anchorage for inspection.

The White House on Wednesday expressed "great sadness" about the incident in a statement. "As the Navy begins the process of recovering our fallen sailors, our thoughts and prayers go out to their families and friends," the statement said.